Which MCU should I use for Solar Power applications?

jborgeson

Intellectual 1345 points

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TMS320F28035, TMS320C28346, MSP430F5438

Quote from customer email: "We have been working on our DC-DC converter for solar applications, and now we need some

DSP microcontrollers to control the MOSFETs. I was thinking to use something like TMS320C2000

or something better."

over 15 years ago

0 jborgeson over 15 years ago

TI__Intellectual 1345 points

There are several versions of the C2000 chip that can be used for Solar power applications. Are you doing microinverters or string inverters? For micro, I would use the TMS320F28035. For string inverters I would go with the TMS32028335 or the TMS320C28346 (which is a bit more complex to use and design around because of the need for external A/D and memory, but has higher performance).

For the smallest microinverters, you can also use the higher performance MSP430 devices like the MSP430F5438, and of course the Stellaris parts have PWMs and ADCs that operate at high enough speed for most solar inverters. They also include some great features for human interface, but that is not very common in solar inverter applications. They also work well as a hub for a smart grid more than the FET controller.

Thanks,

Jacob